learned and religious auditorie of the parish of S. Martins in the fieldes Thus presuming as you see of your Graces acceptance and bolde dedicating this small and simple discourse vnto your Grace which I confesse to be much vnworthy your worthinesse I will not cease to pray vnto God to requite and recompence seuenfolde into your bosome both this and all other your vndeserued fauours towards me And thus beseeching the God of heauen and earth againe and againe to multiplie his richest blessings and mercies towards you by giuing you honour here and honour euer in his happie Kingdome of eternall comfort I rest Your Graces humbly deuoted Chaplin in all dutie to be commanded Iohn Seller TO MY CHRISTIAN AVDItors of S. Martins in the fields BEloued in the Lord this Sermon was lately preached in your parish it is now to be acted if I may say so vpon a Theater Theatrum mundus I am intreated as it were a prologue to say vnto you Come and see (a) Ioh. 1.46 I need not to doe it for you who are carefull to come and heare will I hope be as carefull to come see Come therefore I beseech you and behold another Iohn Baptist in the spirit of Elias preparing in your harts a way for the Lord (b) Luke 3.4 and saying vnto you as God saith to all This is the way walke in it (c) Isay 30.21 Are you desirous of a guide in this way here are two offering of themselues God Baal the one will conduct you to the land of Canaan (d) Ios 1.2 the other will lead you blindfold to Samaria (e) 2. King 6.19 If you follow the one you wil worship in mount Zion (f) Is 2.2.3 If the other you must goe vp to mount Gerizim (g) Ioh. 4.20 and there adore Ieroboams calues (h) 1. King 12.28 This latter is a way pleasing now a daies to many but the issues thereof are the waies of death (i) Prou. 14.12 And when the passing bell calleth there is so litle cōfort in that passage that many who haue gone it forsake it at the last I reade of a learned popish doctor in Germanie who at the howre of his death entring into a meditation of the insufficiencie of his merits cried out after this manner (k) Selnec Instit pag. 386. Alas what shall I now doe No workes doe me any good none comfort me none cheare me Since then I finde nothing in myselfe to stay vpon this will I doe Haue mercy vpon me O Lord for thy sonne Christs sake and receiue my soule It is the safest way as Bellarmine confesseth and the onely way as the scripture proueth Looke not then vpon Baal with his 450. false Prophets (l) 1. King 18.22 but looke vpon God with his seruant Eliah (m) 1. King 18.30 Baal as an Vlysses will transforme you as a Syren seduce you as an Helena corrupt you and as Naash the Ammonite make no couenant with you vnles he may plucke out your right eye of knowledge and so bring a shame vpon Israel (n) 1. Sam. 11.2 Our God is not like their God our aduersaries being iudges (o) Deut. 32.31 He is our sunne (p) Psal 84.11 without him it is night our starre (q) Reu. 2.28 without him it is darknes our life (r) Ioh. 11.25 without him it is death and our guide without him wee shall neuer make our pathes straight (ſ) Ps 25 8. It is better to limpe in the strait waies of God then to runne and rampe on in the broad pathes of Baal you know these things happie are ye if ye doe them (t) Ioh. 13.17 In a word learne by this godly treatise to detest that faith not of Iesus but of the Iesuites which teacheth that you must eate your God and may kill your King Qui cum Iesu itis non itis cum Iesuitis You that doe follow Iesus trace will neuer like the Iesuites pace The Lord make you as beautifull in the eyes of God as you haue made your Church to the eyes of man Aprill 16. 1611. Your ancient seruant in the Lord Robert Hill A SERMON AGAINST HALTING betweene two opinions 1. King Cap 18. Ver. 20. 21. So Ahab sent to all the children of Israell and gathered the Prophets together to Mount Carmel And Elias came to all the people and saide how long halt ye betweene two opinions If the Lord be God follow him If Baal be hee goe after him And the people answered him not one word AMong other blessings which God bestoweth vpon his Church a good Prince is one of the greatest being set ouer his people for the defence and maintenance of true religion and vertue And for this cause it is that the Apostle S. Paule willeth vs first and aboue all other things to pray for Kings and for all that are in authoritie 1. Tim 2.1.2 that vnder them we may leade a quiet and peaceable life in all godlines and honestie In the which words the Apostle setteth downe three speciall good things which wee enioy vnder the gouernment of a godlie and religious Prince namely godlines honestie and peace which being ioyned together are the onely supporters and vpholders of all Christian Common-wealths and Kingdomes but being seuered one from an other there falleth out a cleane contrarie sequele For what is godlines without honestie but plaine hypocrisie or what is honestie without godlines but meere heathnish gentilitie or what is peace without honestie and godlines but carnall securitie Now as for honestie and godlines without peace there can bee no great practise of either of them both It was a great hindrance to the people of Israel in their deuotions when by the crueltie of Pharao they might not be permitted to goe into the wildernes to serue God And afterwards in the captiuity of Babylon they were forced to sing the Lords song in a strange land Peace and tranquilitie are euer an occasion of great increase and edification In the Acts when the Churches had rest thoroughout all Iudea and Galilie and Samaria they were edified Acts 9.31 and walked in the feare of the Lorde and were multiplied by the comfort of the holie Ghost Where wee may see how in a quiet and peaceable Church daily teaching and preaching is of verie great force to plant godlines and the feare of God in mens hearts and withall discipline of manners whereas in a Church which is vnder the crosse it falleth out still for the most part that ecclesiasticall assemblies are hindered and forbidden to be practised Ministers and Preachers are either imprisoned driuen away or put to death Parents and fathers of Families driuen away out of their houses whereby such houses being dissolued children are bereaued of good education godlie men are seuered one from another in which dissipation sound doctrine is not to be had Faith languisheth all godly exercises in training vp of youth
A SERMON AGAINST HALTING BETWEENE TWO OPINIons preached at S. Martins in the fields BY IOHN SELLER BACHELER IN DIVINITIE LONDON Printed by Thomas Creede for William Welbie 1611. TO THE MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD AND MY VERY HONORABLE GOOD LORDE George Lord Archbishop of Canterburie his Grace Primate and Metropolitane of all England IT may seeme strange most reuerend and mine honourable good Lorde that in this learned age of the world wherin the truth of Iesus Christ hath giueÌ„ so cleare a light and that God of his mercie hath restored the Gospell vnto vs caused the beames thereof to shine ouer all Countreys in such sort as now the simple the vnlearned the rich the learned the worshipful the Honorable the States and Princes of the world are become the Professors D. Bishop in his Epistle Dedicatorie to the King and maintainers of it there should notwithstanding eueÌ„ in this kingdome remaine such a number of recusant Papists as the Papists theÌ„selues haue made their crakes and vaunt stiling them all with the name of Dutifull and well deseruing Subiects How Dutifull subiects they haue bene quid audiam verbâ—â—ùm videaÌ„ facta Let the sundrie intended inuasions against this Kingdome and forraine practises abroad procured onely by their meanes let their traiterous and rebellious enterprises their piuate plottes machinations poisonings murthers let the pouder treason the eternall shame of that murtherous and bloodie generation the memorie of which most detestable and damnable fact all the indices expurgatorij in the world shal neuer be able to blot out make manifest to all the Christian world how vniustly and vntrulie they challenge to themselues the name of dutifull and faithfull subiects whose deadly hatred and vnnaturall practises against our Church and Common-weale haue proued by many degrees far more dangerous then euer were the practises and plottes rebellions of that cursed seede of the Cananites Ammonites and Iebusites against the state and gouernment of the Israelites the chosen people of God Touching the number of recusant papists in other shires I haue no great skill it may be it is greater in tale then it is in strength But howsoeuer it be the greater the nuÌ„ber of theÌ„ is the greater danger accrueth both to the Prince state of this Land Onely thus much I may truly affirme that if all the Prouince of Canterbury were as free from that leprosie and contagious infection of Poperie as is the Diocese of Canterbury the Papists should haue small cause to make their boast crakes of so many so manie For whereas there are in the Diocese of Canterburie Rochester some 398. parishes betweene 90. an huÌ„dred thousand coÌ„municants there were not as I am very crediblie enformed found of record the last assise aboue the number of ten recusant papists So that thus much I may truly report for the honour of the Countie of Kent that as in the time of Iulius Caesar they alone were in his iudgement of all the Britaines accompted to be omniuÌ„ humanissimi and in the time of Edward the first reputed to be omnium bellicosissimi therefore as Geruasius affirmeth by a prehemineÌ„ce in right of their manhode challenged to themselues the foreward of all battells as of right belonging vnto them because they were the onely people of the land that were neuer vanquished by the Conquerour but yeelded themselues by composition euen so at this day considering the small number of recusants withall the great number of reuerend Preachers and Pastors dispersed ouer all the Countrey men furnished and qualified with very rare and excelleÌ„t gifts for the worke of the ministery they may deseruedly be reputed omniuÌ„ fidelissimi the most loyall and faithfull subiects of this kingdome A large proofe of whose fidelitie the late Queene of most blessed and happy memorie found in her greatest need when vpoÌ„ the suddain arriuall of the Spanish ships vpon our Seas by the pollicie and vigilancie of S. Thomas Scot being then one of the Deputy LieutenaÌ„ts for those parts a knight of whome I can neither speake nor write without much honour there were gathered together within the space of 24. houres the nuÌ„ber of eight thousand valiant fighting men ready to encounter the enemie At which time there were sundry preachers of vs in that Camp some preaching on our horse-backes some vpon the tops of trees others in pulpits made of turfe where we might behold and see that huge Armado of Spaine whome the Pope had blessed christned by the name of the inuincible Nauie which in very few daies after how it fell from an vnmeasurable high ioy to an vnmeasurable deep dispaire their great castles of comfort being ouerthrowne and brought to the ground I neede not further relate the storie thereof being yet fresh in the memories of many thousands liuing this day This which I haue here set downe for the honour of our Kentish people I haue written it partly to note one speciall sweet fruit of the Gospel wheresoeuer it hath free passage that is that it seasoneth the hearts of all that sincerely professe it with fidelity loyaltie and all manner Christian subiection to the higher powers Partly againe that it may adde some incouragement to your Gra the more willingly as leisure oportunity shall fit to come among vs specially wheÌ„ your Grace shal come to a people so ciuil and so ingenuous so kind so religious and so louing and respectiue of their Diocesan as no one countrey of this Kingdome can afford vs the like president Which to be true the late most worthy B mine old Maister B Whitgift of most learned godly memorie found by good proofe at his first coÌ„ming downe into Kent whom the whole Gentrie of that Diocese entertained no otherwise then the Galathians did the Apostle S. Paule that is like an Angell of God with such obsequiousnes esteeme and reuerence as was fitting for the condition and state of so graue a Bishop and so worthy a Prelate As for vs both of the Laitie and Clergie of your Graces Diocese as wee haue great cause of reioycing offered vnto vs all to stirre vs vp to a thankefull congratulation of your Lor late deserued preferment withall to magnifie the great goodnesse of God towardes vs in that hee hath aduanced your Grace to that height of honour to make your Grace a glorious instrument of much good to this Church of England the charge and gouernement whereof next vnder our gracious Soueraigne is principallie committed So for mine owne particular considering the continuall flowe of those manifolde fauours your Grace hath bene pleased to shewe vnto mee which with all due thankefulnes I most willingly acknowledge hauing no other meanes out of my small fortunes to doe you honour I haue presumed in a Christian boldnesse by way of Dedication to offer this paper present vnto your Grace a Sermon which this last moneth I preached before a very honourable worshipfull and a most
Priest takes bread and coniureth it away by breathing vpon it Lastly Christ ordained his last Supper and instituted this Sacrament of his bodie and bloud to this ende that we should continually remember his death vntill his second comming and for that cause it is called Eucharistia And whereas Eusebius saith that Christ commaunded vs to offer vp a remembrance of his death in steed of a Sacrifice the popish church not contēting themselues with this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiuing wherein we celebrate the remembrance and as Nazianzene calleth it A figure of that great mysterie of the death of Christ they hold that their Masse which they call The daily Sacrifice of the Church is not a commemoratiue but a reall sacrifice not a figure and remembrance of that which is past but the thing it selfe that the sacrifice Christ offered vpon the Crosse and theirs in the Masse is all one that the same bodie of Christ which was borne of the Virgin Marie and which was offered vp vpon the Crosse for our Redemption is the very same euen idem numero with that which is offered vp by the Priest to God the Father in the Masse for the remission of sinnes By these materiall differences which here I haue set downe it is plainely manifest that the popish Masse doth in manie things varie swarue from the institution of Christ as most plainly is to be seene in the 11. cha of 1. Corint vers 23. where the Apostle at large doth describe the whole order and institution of the Lords Supper And thus it is euidently to be perceiued that the Masse as now it is vsed is nothing else but an heape of sinfull deuises and abuses inuented by Sathan and broached by Antichrist to deface frustrate the Lords supper where besides their fruitelesse praiers and superstitious ceremonies their priuate and halfe communion subuerteth the Lordes institution their sacrifice derogateth from his death and bloud-sheading their adoration of bread and wine conuinceth them of hainous Idolatrie But to proue that Protestancy and poperie cannot be reconciled First the Papists themselues bold the differences betweene vs to bee such that it is impossible for any Protestant to be saued Againe all the grounded diuines of the Protestants religion insist vpon the same differēce That sundry points of poperie doe quite raze the verie foundation of Christian religion Marke saith Bishop Iewell to D. Harding What yee were lately and what yee would now seeme to bee what way yee trode then and what way yee treade now the difference is no lesse then betweene light and darkenesse life and death heauen and hell so great a change saith hee would require some good time of deliberation Which asseueration of that worthy Bishop how agreeable it is to the truth and consonant to the practise of the ancient Catholike church and Doctors thereof who would neuer yeeld I will not say in an opinion but not so much as in a forme of speech or in the chāge of a letter sounding against the orthodoxall faith and whether there bee not in sundry fundamentall points of faith great and many differences betweene Rome and vs let it be duely considered by these instances following The first maine point of Catholike doctrine which the Papists goe directly against is the doctrine of free iustification by faith alone which doctrine D. Bishop in his Epistle dedicatory to the K. Maiestie setteth down as a maine heresie that Luther layed for the ground of his religion namely that a man is iustified by faith alone But I demaund of any sober Papist not too much wedded to the preiudice of his own opinion what other or what better foundation could any man lay then that which is already laid which is Iesus Christ which doctrine is the very life and soule of the Church For this was the Catholike faith of the church of Rome when S. Paule wrote his Epistle vnto them that a man is iustified gratis Rom. 3.24 for God a mercie for nothing and that by the grace of God without the workes of the law Quite contrarie to which doctrine of the Apostle the Papists hold iustification by workes of grace auouching that we are not iustified before God onely by the merites of Christ but also by our owne doings affirming that good workes are truely and properly meritorious and the causes of our saluation and that heauen is as truely the reward of good workes as hell is the stipend of euill workes that good workes doe fully satisfie the law of God and worthily deserue eternall life and that good workes wrought and done in the state of grace are so farre meritorious as that God should be vniust if he rendred not heauen for the same charging the iustice of God not in respect of his promise as the Apostle doth but in respect of merite and desert of workes Where we clearely perceiue and see that there is a great difference betweene the Church of Rome and vs euen in the principall Article of our faith touching the Saluation of our soules we beleeuing stedfastly that it is to be ascribed to the merites of Christ they expecting it for the merit of their workes Another substantiall point of the Catholike faith the Papists directly impugne in maintaining a daily reall sacrifice of the body of Christ in their Masse for the sins of the quicke and dead which they hold to be a very soueraigne true and propitiatorie sacrifice in all respects of power and vertue as auailable and as effectuall as was the sacrifice on the crosse for the remission of sinnes For the disproofe of which most wicked and blasphemous assertion there be sundrie arguments and proofes to be produced out of the word of God First if Christ could haue bene offered more then once then must he likewise after haue suffered Heb. 9.25.26 But now in the end of the world he hath appeared once to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe Heb. 9.26 Therefore he cannot now any more be offered in the Masse Againe that thing is in vaine and to none effect where there is no necessitie it should be done but to offer vp any more sacrifice propitiatorie for the quicke and the dead there is no necessitie the reason whereof the Apostle giueth to be this because Christ hath offered one sacrifice and with that one sacrifice and offering vp of himselfe hath consecrated for euer them that are sanctified Heb. 10 12.14 This must then be the conclusion that there is no necessitie why we should offer vp Christ any more for remission of sinnes Thirdly the reason why the Priests of the old law did yearely repeate their sacrifices was this because those sacrifices yearely offered could neuer take away sinnes Heb. 10.11 But the sacrifice of Christ once offered hath sanctified the commers thereunto for wee are sanctified euen by the offering of the bodie of Iesus Christ once made Heb. 10.10 Therefore seeing that Christ by that one oblation of himselfe hath
purchased for vs eternall redemption Heb. 9.12 there needeth no more propitiatorie sacrifice to be made for sinne Where there is remission of sinnes alreadie obtained there is no more offering for sinne there needeth no more sacrifice to be offered Heb. 14.18 But Christ hath beene offered once to take away the sinnes of many Heb. 9.28 and by his owne blood he hath entred once to the holy place to obtaine eternal redēption for vs Heb. 9.12 Therefore the Masse cannot be a propitiatorie sacrifice for sinnes seeing alreadie by the death of Christ we haue remission of sinnes Lastly without blood and shedding of blood there is no forgiuenesse of sinnes Heb. 9.22 But in the daily sacrifice of the Masse there is no shedding of blood for they call their Masse an vnbloodie sacrifice Therefore in the sacrifice of the Masse there is no remission of sinnes and so by consequent the Masse can be no true propitiatorie sacrifice Thus we see how the doctrine of the popish Masse is ex diametro repugnant to the doctrine of the Apostle and to the whole order and institution of the Lords Supper A third very materiall and substantiall point of the Christian Catholike faith impugned this day by the present Romane Church is this that contrarie to the expresse words of our Sauiour Christ thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely thou shalt serue Math. 4.10 contrarie to the commandement which the Angel gaue to Iohn when he fell at his feete to worship him See thou doe it not Reue. 19.10 I am thy fellow seruant and of thy bretheren which haue the testimonie of Iesus worship God contrarie to the examples of Peter and Paul and Barnabas Act. 14.15 Which vtterly refused all manner of adoration Paul and Barnabas renting their clothes crying out to the people of Lycaonia O men why doe ye these things We are euen men subiect to the like passions ye be and preach vnto you that ye should turne from these vaine idolles vnto the liuing God which made heauen and earth and the sea and all things that in them are Act. 10.25 and Peter speaking to Cornelius Who at his first meeting of him fell downe at his feete and worshipped him said thus vnto him taking him vp stand vp for euen I my selfe am a man contrarie to the continuall and constant practise of the ancient Catholike primitiue Church of Christ which as S. Hierō witnesseth did neither worship Sunne nor Moone nor Angell nor Archangell nor Cherubin nor Seraphin nor any other name that is named either in this world or in the world to come least they should serue the creature in steed of the creator who is God blessed for euer contrarie to the determination of Gregorie the great and first of that name who also himselfe was Bishop of Rome and therefore his voice to be accounted as an oracle of God who albeit hee did well like the hauing of images in the Church yet he vtterly condemneth the idolatrous worshipping of them alleaging for proofe thereof the place of scripture before named Lib. 7. episto cap. 109. thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue All this I say notwithstanding the Church of Rome this day euen in this cleare light of the Gospel maintaines and defends the worship and adoration of Angels the worship of Saints departed the worship of the images of the trinitie the worship of the crosse and crucifixe the worship of images which they set vp in their Churches to the intent the people may attribute diuine honour vnto them and lastly the worship of their breaden-God their sacrament of the Altar as they terme it whom they call their Lord and their God crying out to a peece of bread O Lord O God O Lambe of God that takest away the sins of the world haue mercie vpon vs and receiue our praiers And verily were there no other cause to induce all good Christians to depart from the fellowship and communion of the Church of Rome this one doctrine of adoration wherein they teach the common people to call the sacrament their Lord and God and so by giuing the honour of God to a creature that is no God to commit grosse and manifest Idolatrie this point alone were cause sufficient for them to detest both them and their religion for euer Iere. 2.27 For what oddes I beseech you is there betweene those blind Iewes which said to a stocke thou art my father to a stone thou hast begotten me and those wilfull and blind Papists which cry vpon the Sacrament of the Altar in substance a base and corruptible creature Lord I am not worthie Lord be mercifull to me a sinner O Lord O God O Lambe of God receiue our praiers The one sort the H. Ghost hath traduced for a memorable and detestable crew of idolaters and so may we by the like reason and vpon as good ground and warrant condemne all the Papists liuing this day for most vile and shameful idolaters for adoring and worshipping a peece of bread O most horrible idolatrie Tully himselfe being an heathen man could say Who was euer so very a foole De natu deorum as to beleeue the thing he eateth to be his God The very children in Grammer Schoole can tell vs that the heathens that adored Bacchus and Ceres which first found out and taught the vse of breade and wine whereas before they had fed on achornes and dranke water yet notwithstanding they were neuer so foolish or so besotted as to giue godly honour to bread and wine By this then which hath bene alreadie spoken it is clearely proued that there is no compatibilitie betweene Protestancie Poperie and that the diuersitie betweene vs is of so materiall and needfull points that if they be right wee are wrong if wee be right they are wrong both they and wee cannot be both together Catholike members of the true Church The reason why wee cannot account Papists for members of the true Church is because they maintain sundry points which go directly against the Christian faith they doe not content themselues onely with Christ nor with his Sacraments but set vp other mediatours in heauen other doctrines and sacraments on earth Besides that as I haue alreadie proued they adore the creatures of bread and wine in steede of Christ They bow their knees to painted carued images they ioyne nature with grace mans merites with Gods mercies vnwritten verities with holie scriptures their owne satisfactions with the blood of Christ and so directly impugne sundrie fundamentall points of the Christian faith which generally otherwise they will seeme to hold Obiect But I heare some man saying vnto mee if the case be such the differences so great betweene the religion of the Papists and our religion how is it possible that any Recusant papist now liuing can be saued Solut I answer that as in the rebellion which Absolom made against his Father